Alone
by jbg2
Summary: Set a day or so after Angel concluded. Max has some decisions to make. With those she loves abandoning her, she does what she must to keep everyone safe. Will she be able to severe ties and continue alone? Will Dylan and Fang stand for it? What secret has Fang and Iggy kept from Max for over ten years? Will they be able to stop her from her suicide mission? FAX Forever
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer! I don't own Maximum Ride. I'm stir crazy waiting for August 6th and wrote this a while back. Thought I'd post it before Nevermore comes out. Happy distractions! BTW. I know my writing style is slightly fractured (I use dependant clauses often). I do this because Max is scatter-brained and I think it adds that effect. I'm not an idiot and I am taking poetic license here. Don't like it? Feel free to flame me CONSTRUCTIVELY. Happy reading!

1

Flying from one battle to the next is exhausting. I _feel_ like I haven't had a shower or a nap in two years now…But enough about me. Welcome back to another episode of 'My so called life.'

'Where to now?'

Glad you asked! Back to the desert compound to get Ella, of course. Save the cheerleader, save the world. Really, after the whole …episode... I just feel the need to punch something.

I wish it were that simple about Ella. She is a cheerleader. Too bad it is for a maniacal organization of crazies that want her dead or altered.

Why couldn't she just be a tree huggin', folk song spewin', hippie? Anyways. I thought we had de-programmed her, but not enough. She wanted wings. We hope she's at the compound. Just a wild guess.

If our rescue is successful, I have no idea what we're doing or where to go next; Who to love, who to kill, where to start looking for my mom and Jeb, or why I stopped looking for Angel in spite of what Fang said. I just don't believe it. All we found is a shoe. I think I'd feel if she were dead, and right now, I don't feel much of anything.

My thoughts are reeling. I have made one decision, though. No boys until after the crisis. Stop thinking with my heart and if Dylan can't accept that, since he usually doesn't ask me first, he'll have to answer to my knee.

I giggled mid-stroke and glanced over to see the rest of the flock ogling me.

"Did I grow another head?" I asked.

More silence. Then, "You okay?" from Dylan.

"Peachy."


	2. Chapter 2

2

Forcing a brief respite by a creek, we cleaned up to the best of our ability and caught some sleep. I had to practically sit on Iggy, but after our recent ordeal, I knew if we were to be any good to Ella, we had to rest.

Getting up this morning, er, evening, I couldn't stop my mind from flashing back to Fang. It was so convenient for him to call us to fight his battle. Why couldn't he stay to help me with mine? For a boy wanting to protect me, it was proving a trite difficult from a thousand or more miles away.

Dylan gave me a wayward glance. I had my doubts about him. Could he read my thoughts? If he was a mind reader, he'd slip up soon enough.

"Ready?" He asked.

I waited so long he raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, ready. Let's do this."


	3. Chapter 3

voice in 'i_talics'_. thoughts in 'these'

3

_'Are you sure this is where you need to be focusing your energy?'_

I spun before I recognized who was speaking. My 'voice'. I ignored it, but a thought suddenly occurred to me. 'How many people exactly do you reach, voice?'

_'What do you mean?'_

Of course, why didn't I think of this sooner? _'I mean I'm not the only one with a voice in their head. Are you…were you the one with Angel. Is she….truly…dead?'_

No reply. Big surprise there.

'Well, since you're not talking, I'm not listening.'

_'Max'_

"Can it voice." I replied out loud, giving the go ahead sign. Lets keep playin' the game. It had to end for somebody somewhere. Frankly, right now with all this turmoil, I was itching for it to end in one way or the other.

I'm not suicidal, just sayin'. It'd be nice to know, you know, either way.

_'At least focus.'_

We started toward the entrance of the desert institute. Iggy and Gazzy flew distraction, drawing the 'head band' kids out and bombing them from directly overhead. In all the confusion, Me, Nudge, and Dylan entered the corridor left open by the spider sniper ninjas.

The all too familiar smell of bleach and various chemicals made a heinous perfume in my nostrils. De je vu.

This was unlike any other school I had ever encountered, however. The hallways were silent and uninhabited. Nothing ran to get us. There were security cameras. I smirked and waved. This looked like the main hallways, branching off to numerous others. We quickly split up to take different hallways. We needed to find Ella and get out of here.

No cages in this school. Funny, since the brainwashing happened, people now want to be mutated. Seeing that the Doomsday Group selected who they wanted, I'm sure countess 'humans' were turned away, too brainwashed to be that disappointed. But Ella was different after all. She hung with us. I really hope they didn't kill her. Logic would say they would accept her. Make her a Gen77 or hold her hostage.

Screaming and the sounds of running erupted back the main hallways. I was in the middle of looking into my tenth or twelfth room when I saw Nudge running from the farthest end of my corridor. Ninja spider monkeys hot and heavy, bearing down.

Finally! That was more like it. I was starting to think I'd entered the Twilight Zone.

Luckily, they didn't have weapons, but they were fast and gaining. They kept pouring in behind her from another hallway connecting ours.

Where are they coming from?

"Max, we gotta go!" Dylan shouted standing in the open door at the end of the hall.

"But Nudge."I protested fiercely.

"Leave her and we'll come back with Fang and some reinforcements."

We might not be able to find Fang without Nudge and her mad computer hacking skills. Unacceptable, not finding Fang, leaving Nudge.

Nudge's eyes buldged, knowing she wasn't going to make it.

"No," I roared, running toward her. Dylan tried to stop me, but I was the fastest flyer flinging myself up, warp speed, down the hallway; bowling them down like long alley pins. I was too deep in when I spun to exit now, and they just kept coming.

A couple jumped my back.

"Get Nudge out of here." I screamed, pushing her in the air to safety. I was like cat nip for a deranged cat. The few still chasing Nudge stopped to come back and secure me. Dylan was moving toward me. Behind me, more spider kids were filling the gap and they were packing. Bullet fire rang out above my head.

"Leave so you'll be alive." I screamed. "You can come back later. That's an order."

Dylan looked at me very longingly before grabbing Nudge and making a bee line for the door. I listened quietly for what seemed like an eternity. I finally breathed a little easier. If they were captured, it didn't sound like it. It was weird how he always obeyed me, just like at the lab when we saved Fang. He was like the perfect soldier, asking no questions, mine to command. Fang would listen, but sometimes, he bucked.

And just like that, the plan I had for myself when we rescued Angel came to fruition. I had sacrificed myself for what was left of my flock.

And as I went down, I knew they were better off without me.

_'That's the easiest you've ever been taken down Max. You could have fought more than that. You're not focusing.'_

"Yeah, I'm not sure I can. If I even still care anymore."

'_You've got one thing wrong, though. You won't be alone.'_

I was injected in my neck and blacked out.


	4. Chapter 4

_4_

Apparently, I was tranquilized, because I woke up with a pounding headache and a trip down memory lane. In the cage across the aisle from mine there were the ten-year-old versions of the flock. I knew we were ten, because from my angle, I could read the labels on our cages. I never noticed the labels complete with subject numbers, no names, and ages before. Course, I couldn't read when I was little, either.

Everyone was here except for Angel and Gazzy. My heart ached, but if I was ten, she and Gazzy were in another part of Itex and not with us yet. Nudge was so small, sucking her thumb in her sleep.

"He, hello?" I stated bewilderedly. I was losing touch on reality. But the more I thought about it, this shouldn't be all that shocking. Most the flock had their own clones after all.

But I didn't dwell on that any longer. Instead I wondered things like, "why aren't they talking to me, or even seeing me?"

"Hello. Iggy? Fang? " Even a ten-year-old Fang was mildly comforting. He was so cute! I didn't remember him being that cute.

They didn't notice me. I started looking around me expecting to see the ghost of Christmas past. "Jiminy Cricket," I muttered, shaking my head.

I was sleeping or unconscious. (ten-year-old me). Even ten-year-old me didn't look completely innocent, though it helped that I was ten and sleeping. Apparently I had a rough night. I couldn't remember this particular night, though I tried not to remember this time in my life PERIOD. Fang kept a vigil over me. He looked really worried, a couple of times he reach through his cage and into mine, brushing my hair away and checking for a pulse. Iggy eventually succumbed to sleep.

I watched us, mesmerized. We were almost peaceful. A terrible explosion in the fighting yard made Iggy spring awake, sitting up. Nudge groaned in her sleep. I didn't stir. Fang noticed and scowled deeper.


	5. Chapter 5

5

Five minutes later, white coats emerged, happily chatting. Fang looked deadly.

They stopped in front of my cage. Shaking it slightly, I saw Fang hiss a little in pain.

He must have had his hand in my cage and got his arm pinched, because he was cradling it. His eyes intense even though he was silent as the grave.

"You think it'll live?" Of course he gestured to me.

"Yeah, it's tough. That one" The white coat said, pointing at Nudge. "Is a different story."

"It's so young to start already."

"They're making them better, but you should see what they have planned for tomorrow."

Fang clenched his fists. I groaned in my sleep, they kept on walking. Apparently our cages weren't their destination tonight/day, whatever time it was.

Ten-year-old me groaned again. My mouth fell open as I watched Fang snake his fingers back over to my cage and take my hand.

"Hold on" He murmured, with one hand handing his cage, the other in my tiny hand. Younger me stopped moaning.

Hmph. He talked more to me when I was unconscious. Figures. Fang didn't talk much at the school, much less show any emotion. Shocker, right.

I guess my earliest memories of me actually prying any conversation out of him at all was when we were sevenish.

"_Why am I being shown this? Is this my real memories, or am I hallucinating?"_

I received no answer from my voice. But this felt so real. It had to be a hallucination, but maybe I was remembering what my subconscious saw. Maybe I'm in a coma. Maybe I'm insane. Nah, I'm definately insane.

I drifted sometime later smiling, little Fang still holding my 'little' hand.


	6. Chapter 6

6

Waking in the 'morning' (morning for me, time is relative) was very disorienting. I was still in flashback mode. It was as if the hands of time were turned back and I was stuck in the pages, not noticed, but observant….and I remembered this day.

I drew a very shaky breath.

So these were not hallucinations, but memories. How is this possible?

I was awake. Fang was gone. Nudge was gone. Only Iggy and I remained, and they were coming for me.

I wasn't as pithy as a ten-year-old. Maybe I was just having a rough time after last night. Instead of quipping at them, I tried to bite them and was tasered accordingly. Iggy was screaming at them, shaking the cage, but I was already gone.

I looked at him. Three cages empty and Iggy all alone, yet fully seeing. For today at least. I remember this day, because I remember the first time they tased me, and shortly after that day, Iggy will have lost his vision. Staring at him now, he already looked so isolated, so alone.

'Is this why I'm here? To change the past?' I come out of the haze to rattle my bars.

_'No. Yours is just to observe.' _

'You answered me, thanks.' It was a relief to hear the voice, because I couldn't get a rise or response from anything around me.

_'I'm not the voice, Max. I'm the one showing you this.' _

'Who are you, then?'

A brief pause then, '_It's me, Angel.'_


	7. Chapter 7

7

I jumped so hard, my head hit the top cage and bounced me and it in the air. Slamming down and rubbing my head, I tried to regain my bearings.

"How? You don't sound like Angel, you sound androgynous, like the voice."

_'I wasn't sure if I should tell you, seeing as how you didn't trust me the last year or so of our journey.'_

"I want to believe this is Angel, but how do I know?"

_'Well, there is no way to prove it to you for sure. The voice can read your mind, see your thoughts. There is no way to tell you something hidden that it wouldn't have already seen or known.'_

"Okay, well, the voice has never steered me wrong so I believe you're not the voice. I'm willing to go on faith right now."

_'Really?'_

"No, I'm either dying and hallucinating or going crazy and hallucinating. So I'm going to go ahead and say you're Angel. It would make me feel better to fool myself into thinking you're still alive."

_'Same old Max.'_

'Angel, why do you sound like the voice?'

_'I guess the same reason Jeb 'can do the voice but isn't the voice'. It's their technology. I'm using the same system Jeb, Dr. H-G, and Itex did to project my thoughts into you.'_

"Where are you?"

"Not telling you. If you knew you'd come for me and I'm not the most important thing on your to-do list currently."

A flicker of hope rose inside me. Then I crushed it. This was definitely the beginning of schizophrenia.

...The chapters are short like the books, as you have noticed. So, I will try to update 2 chapters a day. Please review :)


	8. Chapter 8

8

_'You're not asking the right questions_.'

'I though you weren't the voice. What is the right question? How are you alive? What happened to you?'

_'No, still the wrong question.'_

'You are starting to sound a lot like Jeb. Okay, enlighten me then.'

_'How are you seeing this? These are memories Max, but they can't be yours, obviously. You are unconscious or absent sometimes. They aren't my memories, I'm not even there.'_

True. Max thought hard, her eyebrows coming together. Man, for an ulterior personality, this voice was extremely logical. And too cocky. Definitely had Angel's personality down in my head.

_'Huuh'_, the voice sighed. '_You know, I truly did regret betraying you and Fang. The whole flock for that matter. That's the reason I volunteered for my fateful mission. I wanted to prove myself to you. I didn't think what I was doing was betrayal before. I had a voice too, remember, and it told me Fang would break apart from you and be my second in command. I was so arrogant I believed it. The voice told me what I was doing was going to save Fang.' _

'I forgave Angel. I hope she, or you if I'm not crazy, knows it.'

_'Thanks. Listen Max. Remember telling me not to let the voices guide me? I usually heard your 'inner' voice, and it wasn't wrong. I heard Fang's and his wasn't ever 'wrong' either.'_

'Fang has a voice? He never told me.'

_'Fang's voice told him to leave. It's what pushed him over the edge to go. After mine betrayed me, though, It got me thinking about the voices. It's …. It's the reason you're in a comma now.'_

"Come again!" I shouted, out loud. Of course, nobody acted like they heard me.

Please review. It makes me update faster. (I'm still updating another chapter tonight, but I'm anxious to see if you like or hate it. A simply written 'thumbs up' or 'thumbs down' would suffice. :)


	9. Chapter 9

9

_'Let me explain. This technology is awesome. It is letting me project my powers over wave lengths. I sort of 'suggested' the spider monkeys attack you, but not harm you, let Dillon escape, and inject you with liquid that puts you under.' _

'Why?'

_'So I can find out who the voice is or what sends them to us. Is it one person? Is it Itex, because I believe it is someone from here, they have the ability. Is it friend or selfish manipulator? One or many?'_

"How are you going to do that? Figure out who and what?'

_'They'll either be using the same technology, and I'll find them in Itex's system, or they'll be using their powers and I'll find them in your mind. Whether in Itex or out of it, I'll piggy back on their signal and use the power of suggestion on them. I need to find out if they are friend or foe. If they're on our side. If they come in, I will stay silent and hidden. That was the other purpose of the coma, to activate your dream center, it's easier to hide this way.'_

I was smart, but I wasn't smart enough, or have the abilities needed to execute this. Either this was Angel, or someone was manipulating my mind. And since they hadn't asked me for anything, I had a hard time believing it was the doing of a white coat.

'Angel. You. Amaze. Me.'

_'Bout time you came around. Now, I have a theory, but you might not like it. You didn't hear the voice a lot for the last month or two right?'_

'Yes'

_'About the time Dylan has been with us?'_

'I guess.'

_'I think Dylan is the voice.'_

So I lied and updated sooner. Can't help it. It gets really good in the next few chapters or so (I think, but it's my story so maybe I'm biased), and since they're already written, I want to get a few more out. I'm just afraid people will think it's junk and not read it with so many chapters out and not many reviews. Oh well. Happy reading!


	10. Chapter 10

10

'No way. Angel, I heard the voice before I came in here and he was with me.'

_'So? Whose to say he can't be the voice when he's right with you? Jeb somehow could. But before, that wasn't Dylan. That was actually me. I knew the best way to hurry you up was to goad you not to storm the building.'_

'But Dylan?'

_'How else would he know you so well? He knows about your cookie obsession, and a hundred other private personal things. He told Fang he thought he knew you better than he did and you've grown up with Fang. How is that possible? I'm not saying I'm right, I'm just sayin' it's a possibility.'_

I was quiet for a good long time. I really didn't like that android-like voice. It was helpful and I listened, but ultimately, I followed my gut. That voice didn't even sound human, but he/she/it had never steered me wrong. Quietly protecting me and creepily possessive. Change the subject… 'So, what am I seeing if this isn't your memories, and it isn't mine?'

_'Well, most are Fang's. He kept thinking about the beginning toward the end of the journey. When we were trapped at school, especially though, he would dwell on the early days.'_

'Why show me this? I may not get out again. Show me us…'

_'Kissing? There's some things you need to see Max. You wouldn't believe me even if I told you. I want you to see it. The other reason I put you under.' _

White coats brought 'ten-year-old me' back. Iggy and Fang were here. No Nudge.

The younger me slinked silently to the back of the cage.

I never noticed how Fang watched me before. My eyes were on the white coats, and entrances and exits. Why didn't I ever notice how much he watched me?

_'He was fiercely protective over us, but you especially. Even though he didn't realize he 'loved you, loved you' until the beach, he's always admired you and knew you were special. You made him not want to give up. You made us all stronger, Max. If we were having a bad day, we'd take our strength from you. You kept us going and that kept Fang going. It's one reason why you're the leader. It's why he stayed with us, with you.' _

'Wasn't enough to keep him with me.'

_'You're wrong. It was. He is totally for you Max, even if he isn't physically here. He'd die for you.'_

'Now you're pulling for Fang? I thought you said I could choose either boy I wanted.'

_'Of course you can, but I think you are connected. I think perhaps something is trying to pull you apart and thinks it is doing the right thing. I'm almost afraid splitting you up won't help because, well, Itex, is always going about things wrong and I don't like being controlled….At the very least, we're all being manipulated. Just pawns in this sick little end game.'_

Okay. This is the last of the filler. Next chapter the action starts and we learn the secret Fang/Iggy have kept from Max for over seven years. Please R/R!


	11. Chapter 11

11

I (ten-year-old me) had 'given' blood that day in more ways than one. The ten-year-old me was clutching a gauze over the inside area of my elbow, all the while bleeding out my nose. I was on the verge of tears, but it wasn't from sorrow. When your nose gets busted it makes your eyes water. 'Least that's what I told Iggy.

'Angel, I have tried so hard to block these memories. I remember Iggy goes blind today because I get tased, but I don't remember this part.'

'_That's because you're about to pass out cold. You've lost too much blood.'_

'I'm doing that a lot lately. Really annoying.'

'_In 3, 2, 1'_

As predicted, ten year old me collapsed on the floor, gauze forgotten, blood still oozing from my wounds. I gasped, seeing an eraser's teeth marks etched in my arm. They weren't supposed to gnaw on us, but sometimes they lost self control, and my mouth never helped the matter.

I glanced down at my own arm, and sure enough, there were white teeth-scar marks from all those years ago. I had suppressed lots of tests, tried not the think about school, and what was some old teeth scars amongst a hundred other wounds? It wasn't like they were that noticeable, we heal real fast…

And I remember that horrible test and grab my ears. It's the day I escaped the maze tests, bolted for the door, and flew away.

But then I saw the flock's faces in my mind and decided I couldn't leave everyone else, and the eraser decided he'd help me the rest of the way down to the ground with his muzzel. One grabbed my arm, another caught my foot. I crawled to my cage and sure enough, there was gauze leaking blood around my ankle. The others didn't seem to know how bad it was, until I collapsed and blood ran out the bottom of my cage and over the edge of the 'shelve' we were perched on.

'How come I don't bleed out Angel?'

'_Give it a minute.'_

I heard a deep cough, then realized it had come from Fang. "Max….MAX!" He kneeled and tried to reach my lifeless body with his outstretched arm on the foot of the cage, but couldn't. We were crammed like sardines, and I was just barely out of his reach, his fingertips almost touching my hair. He had to settle on grabbing my cage bars, which were right besides his, and shaking.

"Fang, are you sure that's a good idea." I was startled to hear Iggy speak because I hadn't been watching him.

"If we don't wake her enough to stop her own bleeding, she'll die."

Iggy's eyes went wide. He decided to grab the other side of my cage bars and help Fang. I (ten-year-old me) grunted something that sounded like, 'no, can't leave the others, please stop biting me.' but I was mumbling and didn't wake up. Blood still oozed at a steady rate. I was going to bleed out.

'Angel this isn't right. This couldn't have happened I'm right here."

'_Wait for it.'_

Fang gave up the futile attempt, a cold resolve shadowing his eyes. I cocked my head. I knew that expression. Fang was going to make something happen, even if it killed him in the process. Steeling himself, he bucked up his shoulder and threw himself at the front of his cage. It budged a couple of inches. Fang rolled his shoulder, tried it again, and again, again. Finally, when it was teetering over, he rocked it down, toppling the three or so feet to the floor.

Painful, but efficient. The cages were made with extra bars in the front so that while we could reach our hands out the side, we couldn't out the front and undo the fancy latch. However, the youngster's body adding to the force of the fall bent the bars enough for him to reach through and open it. Iggy's cage followed suit just seconds later. Fang helped him out before he had to fumble with the latch. My heart swelled with pride. Look at them.

And then they were unlocking my cage, none too gently pulling me out, but being careful with my head as they laid me on the concrete floor. The younger me hissed. The floor must have been cold.

"You'll live," Fang said as he smirked toward me and bent my elbow, putting pressure with the gauze on my wound. He exchanged a glance with Iggy who was equally beaming and holding the wound on my leg. "Iggy, we should have done this years ago."

I couldn't help but smile. They had worked together and had freed me. The usual animosity between them gone. I always wondered if there was more than brotherly feuding between them, sometimes they were down right hostile, even though they would fight for each other like family. I attributed this toward Iggy's bitterness. The whole flock still had our sight, but it was always more aimed at me and Fang than anyone else.

'Would you look at that' I thought to myself, but of course Angel is a mind reader.

'_Doesn't last for long, soon you'll know why.'_

As if on cue, a door burst open and two white coats were hauling Nudge between them. She was balling like a baby and not struggling between the two much older men. They were chatting happily and hadn't noticed Fang and Iggy yet, who were frozen like deer in headlights. It was such a shame. If I wasn't unconscious, we could have grabbed Nudge and ran.

'_And never have saved Gazzy and me.'_

'There is that.'

Fang and Iggy unfroze as the white coats saw the cages, then the free bird kids. Two helping the fallen one. Iggy backed up in shock. Not Fang, he took on a lion crouch in front of me.

The white coats quickly radioed for back up. They dropped Nudge in the maylay, two more scientists burst through the doors behind them and five flanked use from the opposite side of the hallway. Fang was pushed to the ground after an impressive try. (Not really, but impressive for a ten-year-old.) Iggy was suppressed after a little easier. Just a little.

"What now?" A white coat asked another, obviously higher ranking than him.

"Get the males' new cages, but this time bolt them to the back wall and place weights on the tops of them."

'Darn,' I thought.

"And place them far enough apart they can't touch each other's cage."

Fang let out a low animalistic growl after that. It surprised the man.

"Better yet, put this one on the other side of the hallway."

Four of them left to do his bidding. Fang was still suppressed with his elbow in an arm bar and his cheek held against the cold floor.

"Bring her, she has another test scheduled."

"No!" Fang barked and resumed struggling.

"She's unconscious." Another spoke up, while kneeling beside me. His voice was familiar as he walked to the wall opposite our cages, close to me, and grabbed a first aide kit.

Jeb. "Can't this wait until tomorrow? Easy on him, Jared."

Jared let up _a little. _Fang was able to sit on his knees, arms pinned behind him.

"No, boss was adamant about this new procedure and wants to implement it immediately. It is really risky and it needs to be tested now so we know if we can inject it into the new batch of embryo's coming in tomorrow."

"Take me instead." Fang said. His eyes were on the floor, then flicked over to me. His voice cracked slightly.

Jared was surprised, they all were. I was the vocal one. Fang would ooze hate from his eyes, but never his mouth. He _never_ talked to them, heck, he barely talked to me. Jared turned to a woman beside him. "Karen? What do you think? They just need a test rat, does it matter the subject?"

Karen flipped through some charts, then looked at Fang critically. "He'd be a shame to loose. He has to take over for the female if she dies. This is a fifty-fifty shot here. He's a fighter. Take this one." Then she flicked her hand ominously to Iggy, who began thrashing.

"No, TAKE ME" I (grown up me) screamed at the same time as Fang. I had just learned a dark secret. It was supposed to be **me. I **was supposed to be blind, not Iggy. Of course, in my comatose, delusional state, this was Fang's memories as seen by Angel, and no one heard me scream.

"NO!" Fang screamed fighting to get off the floor. His fight subsided eventually.

Minutes past. The new cages were installed and secured.

Jeb looked relieved, scooping me up and placing me in my cage. My bleeding was stopped, and Jeb had changed my bandages. I knew how this would end.

Nudge was rocking in her cage. I was asleep in mine, and Fang was huddled as small as possible in the corner of his. All alone in his brooding.

'Please Angel.' I muttered, closing my eyes. 'Please, no more.'

Okay. PLEASE R/R. shamelessly pleading.


	12. Chapter 12

**Special thanks to AJ (AnikaandAJ) for editing this chapter! **

**12**

_ 'HELP! Fang, come quickly! The institute has Max. (The one in the desert). Dylan doesn't want me to ask for help, but this is bigger than us. I know you're busy. Please, Fang. She didn't even try to fight them_,_ and I'm so scared she's just given up. Come quick if you can.'_

_ -Nudge_

Fang hadn't slept soundly since Nudge 'called him' on his blog. He had flown through most the night, slept as little as possible and continued the next day.

Max was captured. That was bad enough. But by the sound of it, she didn't really put up a fight. Nudge had thought she had given up.

And he was responsible, again.

_And _Nudge had to sneak to contact him even though Max wanted his help.

Dylan wasn't going to let her ask for it.

Why not?

They had better get her out _alive_ or he would kill Dylan. He wanted to fight the creep before the rescue, but they couldn't spare the extra man. Fang was sure when they got there Dylan would agree to fight with them for Max. Still, Fang wasn't seeing straight he was so full of anger. Could he meet Dylan and not tear him limb from limb? Trying to still his breathing, he clenched and unclenched his fists.

Clearly, if the flock couldn't win with Max, they stood a heck of a lot less chance without Fang's group. What was his angle?

Fang shivered remembering every word of Nudge's message. He never thought Max needed him. Thought he was doing her a favor by leaving. He never imagined that she'd simply shut down. Maybe Angel's loss had pushed her over the edge. That had to be it.

Still**, **he felt incredibly guilty.

He had to get to her. He couldn't lose her and Angel in the same week. He just couldn't lose Max. He thought he was past this, but this hurt was unfathomable. It threatened to consume his being. They had unfinished business, Max and him. She couldn't die without knowing why he left, even when he promised not to leave. In fact, in his mind, he never really left her at all.

"Hey, we'll get her out, she's tough. Trust me. I should know."

Fang nodded over to Maya. She was unique and fun to be around. She was his number two…

She was no Max.

Fang saw something coming over the horizon. It turned out to be Dylan and the Flock because Dylan was NOT part of the flock in his mind.

If Fang's face was cold, Dylan's was frigid and coming for a fight.

Maya saw the same scene, and couldn't take her eyes off of Dylan. "Fang…What's his problem? FANG?"

Fang and Dylan were in a fight, 5,000 feet in the air. Not really helpful to Max right now.

"What are you two idiots doing?" She yelled, all on deaf ears.

Fang and Dylan swapped blows, circled, and went at it again. For every punch one would land, the other would land a kick. They were evenly matched.

"STOP" The flock and Maya shouted. A dust cloud below them waited, Fang's flock had caught up to the two fighters and was now getting out of a stolen car, trying to watch from below.

Finally, after two broken noses, busted lips, and cuts, the two broke apart breathing heavily.

They settled on the death stare, circling once again.

"This is not helping Max!" Nudge's broken voice spat out, piercing the distance.

Dylan's fists were still curled, but Fang's reasonable brow softened.

"Land." Fang commanded, descending.

"No!" Dylan spat defiantly.

"Now." Fang added, still dropping.

Dylan was the last to follow. The other flock members had no hesitation. The flock had loosely merged with Fang's band and was in a circle around him and Dylan.

Fang rolled his shoulders, trying to calm himself. "How dare you not tell me she was captured?"

Dylan scoffed. "I can handle this, what is there to tell?"

Fang balled his fists, but restrained himself. He couldn't claim to have as much right to Max as he once had. He had relinquished that command. "Clearly, if they captured Max, you can't handle this. You should have called me for help."

Dylan eyed him maliciously. "That's your opinion. And you lost the privilege of voicing your opinion when you left the flock."

Fang had had it. "A decision you urged me to make, last I remember."

Dylan now advanced toward him. "Of course I wanted you to leave. If roles were reversed I would have left, too. But, no one held a gun to your head. You were all too eager to go. And the note? Catch you in twenty years? It took me _weeks_ to start picking up the pieces of Max you shattered in your cowardice exodus. "

"_This is not productive!_" Nudge screamed. "If I were Max I would have kicked your butts into next Tuesday by now, but I'm not Max. She's being held captive by white coats in the new generation labs. Do you have any idea what they're doing to her right now? Can you even imagine? Stop being such girls and let's go save Max."

The frozen boys held their fighting stance a little longer. Fang was the first one to break, nodding his head. Dylan followed.

"Another time then, Dylan. What do you know about the compound?"

From that moment on they were united in battle strategy, thick as thieves.

Dylan and Fang were hiding behind the sparse dessert vegetation. Iggy and Gazzy had set a diversion. With a loud explosion, they stormed the castle. Nudge played reconnaissance from up above, while Fang's band stormed the rear.

They had strength and new numbers. There was no need for either.

Fang and Dylan straightened in the center of the building turning to take in the destruction.

"Max?" Dylan ventured, somehow insinuating she had caused all the damage.

"No way." Fang muttered, shaking his head. Max was great and all, but this was total devastation. All rooms abandoned. All spider ninjas immobilized. They weren't really kids after all. They were cyborgs. Robots with human parts. Hundreds of them lying decapitated in the hallways.

"_Max_!" He hollered, trying to see if she was still in the building. His calm exterior was beginning to crack.

"What's that?" Dylan muttered pointing to ninjas, arranged in a pile. The one on top was slumped over with a piece of paper sticking out its decapitated neck.

"Message?" Fang muttered, picking up the gooey piece of paper.

"Ewe." Dylan said.

Fang scanned the paper hungrily with his eyes. It was in Max's handwriting.

_'__Fang, if you've come, I'm gone, obviously. If it's just Dylan reading this, same applies, I suppose. Whoever gets this, don't come after me. Angel is alive. Can't explain, but I'm going to her. And, I'm going to go about my mission, alone. It's the best way. On a positive note, I awoke from a short coma with a new power, as you can see from the carnage around you. I don't know if they activated it in the coma, or if something inside has awakened that was once lying dormant, but be careful Fang. You usually get a new ability right after mine.'_

Fang did a slow circle to look at the carnage afresh. She did do this, holy explicative!

_'__Fang, I wish you would have told me about the night Iggy went blind. It was supposed to be me, and yet you feel guilty.'_

Hurt, then sadness crossed his face. How in the world does she know this?

_'__Don't be. If it had been different, you might have very well been the leader. You'll be a great one. Dylan, take care of the remainder of my flock. I know you can._

_Off to save the world,_

_Max._

_P.S. Fang, be careful how much you listen to the voice.'_

The note fell to the floor, limp as Fang's arm by his side. She knew about Iggy and his inner voice? He hadn't told her either. He left but she still wasn't safe. Now she was flying solo.

Fang screamed kicking the nearest decapitated cyborgs head.

No longer. He was finally going to keep his promise of not leaving her. He was going to have her back again. Keep her safe. This wouldn't have happened if he would have stayed. If he'd have only been honest with her. And Angel? How could she possibly know she was alive or where she was? Was she losing her mind? Join the club.

"What now?" Iggy said. Everyone was present, now that there was no danger.

"We unite forces and go find Max." Fang stated, like it was simplest thing in the world. But where would they start? Everyone nodded but Dylan.

The front double doors burst open. A bewildered Jeb heaved in the doorway. "Max! You finally finished your transformation!"

He seemed to notice Max wasn't there and doubled over, huffing with his hands on his knees. "Quick, where is she?"

Since Fang didn't speak, Dylan did. "She took off to find Angel."

Jeb couldn't seem to comprehend this. He wore a hospital robe and a crazed look in his eye as he searched the teenagers for her.

"She's really gone Jeb. She's not here."

"But, but. No! No, not now. All that I have groomed her for**; **her purpose. Wasted!"

Jeb, in sort of a surreal way, slipped down to the floor, shaking and holding his head.

Dylan bristled at the grooming comment, but Fang simply held him back. "Jeb," Fang said, "What do you mean, wasted?"

Jeb sat silently for a long time. The look he gave Fang when he finally decided to speak chilled him to his core. "I mean, if we don't find Max in the next 72 hours, not only will she be dead, but she will have taken the world with her."

…..to be continued…..

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Please review this chapter. Makes me write faster I went for longer chapters because James Patterson doesn't have to upload every chapter electronically to fanfiction.

Everlastingwolflove, sorry! Karen was just a name that popped into my head. Fangxxmylove, took your advice about waiting to post longer between times for reviews. Thanks again to a friend for reviewing and to AnikaandAj for editing. Anything that is wrong is my fault because I tweaked it again after she edited it. If I read it tomorrow, I would change it again. Can't help myself Please R/R!


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